6.2-magnitude earthquake rocks Philippines

A 6.2 magnitude earthquake has struck off Negros Island in the Philippines, according to the U.S. Geological survey.

The quake, which struck at 20:47 GMT, had its epicenter 78 miles (126 kilometers) west-northwest of the city of Dumaguete on Negros Island and 357 miles (576 kilometers) south-southeast of Manila, the Philippine capital, at a depth of 11.8 miles (19 kilometers).

The quake was followed by a 5.1-magnitude aftershock at 21:03 GMT.
No Tsunami warning was issued following the quake and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Quake hits off Philippine coast, no damage

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Philippines on Tuesday but caused no damage, authorities said.

The US Geological Survey said the quake occurred at 4:47 am (2047 GMT), 125 kilometres (78 miles) west of Negros island, at a depth of 19 kilometres.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake struck in the Sulu Sea 93 kilometres southwest of Dumaguete City, one of the major cities on Negros.
Authorities were confident the quake caused no damage, according to Nazario Caro, a duty officer with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on the neighbouring island of Panay.
"We did not issue any tsunami alert. We have checked the nearby areas and we did not get any reports of damage or casualties," Caro told AFP by telephone.
The Philippines sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire -- a belt around the Pacific Ocean dotted by active volcanoes and tectonic trenches, where frequent eruptions and earthquakes take place.

6.2 earthquake strikes Philippines: USGS

The USGS said the quake occurred at 4:47 am (2047 GMT), 125 kilometres (78 miles) west of Negros, at a depth of 19 kilometres, having initially measured the quake at a magnitude of 6.6.
The Philippines sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire -- a belt around the Pacific Ocean dotted by active volcanoes and tectonic trenches, where frequent eruptions and earthquakes take place.
Citizens have been nervous about a potential killer quake following the devastating tremors that have hit Japan and New Zealand this year.
One fault line runs directly under Manila, and government seismologists have warned that the city is unprepared for a major quake.